Ride The Night: How To Stay Safe While Commuting at Night

Ride The Night: How To Stay Safe While Commuting at Night

The number of people commuting to work on a bike has increase by 60% over the last decade*, with just under a million people each year. With longer commute times, there are going to be times you are caught in the dark, so here are a few tips to ensure you’re safe in the saddle through at night.

Keep your wits about you

Cycling in the dark means that your vision will be tainted, which means you’re going to have to keep your wits about you and rely on your other senses. There will be moments where you will be forced to think and react faster than normal, even if you have a good set of lights, and being sensible and aware of your surroundings will help you. As you adapt to riding in the dark and increase your cat-like reflexes, you’ll become as nimble as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s bike-delivery character in the movie Premium Rush, which will influence your daylight cycling skills too!

Light it up

Flashing front and back lights should be mandatory, and will help to alert traffic around you of your presence. A bright headlamp with a strong beam will work to increase your vision and spot any nasty holes or obstructions that would be hidden in the shadows. Something like Lumaglo’s Wearable Break Light, a wearable sash of red LED lights that automatically alerts others around you when you slow down or stop (thanks to speed sensors synced to bright red rear LEDs) is a great way to communicate with fellow road users, and keep your upper body lit up.

Get High-Viz

We hope you like the eighties, because the brighter and more neon the hi-viz gear you wear, the more you will stand out. Black might be awesome to smooth over those love handles or give you that Batman-edge, but fluorescent clothing can dramatically decrease the risk of a traffic incident occurring. That horrendous neon, I-can’t-look-for-too-long yellow works best.

A moment of reflection

Reflective gear, specifically designed to illuminate and reflect light shone on it, is a great way of staying visible in traffic. Most brands include reflective panels and strips onto their gear nowadays, but always find out before you make the purchase. Buying reflective gear to put on your knees and feet can work to increase visibility even more, as they are constantly moving and will create a bright, whir of light when illuminated by passing cars.

Own the lane

If you’re commuting in an area that doesn’t have bikes lanes and you’re riding in traffic, don’t make the mistake of hugging the edge of the road. Not only will it make it harder for you to be spotted, but cars might also think they can “slip past” without having to take too wide a berth, which could lead to running you off the road or worse. When cycling at night, providing you’re lit up as bright as a Christmas tree with reflective gear or a Lumaglo Crossbelt, ride in the lane and own the space. Let drivers know you’re there and one of them.

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Bryony McCormick

I'm an adventure sport and travel writer. I'm an avid trail runner and mountain biker, aspiring adventurer and average surfer. I do yoga to stay sane, live a vegetarian lifestyle and sometimes prefer the company of my cat to actual humans. My heart belongs in the ocean and my soul in the mountains.